FIR against landlords if they fail to ensure verification of tenants: Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar Commissionerate

The police have directed landlords and estate agents to provide all the details of the tenants in the prescribed format via emails and registered post to the respective police station within three days after the contracts are signed.

Sadanand Date, the commissioner of the Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar (MBVV) Commissionerate has directed estate agents and landlords to verify their tenants and send the details to the respective police stations in their jurisdiction. Failing these steps, the landlords or agents can be booked for ‘hiding tenants’ information’, said Date.

Property owners and estate agents will be booked under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) if they breach the law. (Photo for representation)

“Criminal activities are rampant in the twin cities of Vasai-Virar and Mira-Bhayander, and so MBVV has applied Section 144 (which prohibits the gathering of four or more people in an area) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPc), 1973, and made tenement verification process compulsory. Earlier, a minor online process was conducted for the verification when the cities were under the Thane rural police. But now the process has been tightened. We will also the landlords, property owners and estate agents under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) if they breach the law,” said senior police inspector Sanjay Hazare from Kashimira police station.

He said the police have directed landlords and estate agents to provide all the details of the tenants in the prescribed format via emails and registered post to the respective police station within three days after the contracts are signed.

“This method will also help MBVV to track suspects and control crime, as well as to identify their hideouts in case of lack of photographs, documents and other evidences,” said Hazare.